Part of Your World
by AliVal13
Summary: A mermaid's tale. Set in the 1800's, a young man is saved by a legend of the deep. Teen for possible cursing.
1. A Vague Introduction

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Kingdom hearts.

WARNING - Fluff, cheesy lines, possible singing, etc.

RANT - I'd like to bring up is... before anyone asks me about this during the fic... **No, not everything is going to be logical.** This does not mean I'm creating part crack, it means that this _is_ based off a Disney movie.

Also, I was going to re-write this a little... I had been under the impression, which is my own fault, that this still sucked a lot of balls... But re-reading this chapter, I'm pretty satisfied after all with it. I'm super glad to know it doesn't suck even half as much as I recalled it did.

* * *

It started out a lovely day. The sun was shining, the water glittered, and not a cloud was in sight. A perfect day for young souls to explore.

Brushing his tail gently across the dusty sands that glimmered like jewels under the sun's rays, one such curious soul was in search of anything he could find that was at least a _little_ attention grabbing. It was a somewhat boring, if not beautiful, adventure; as the most interesting thing he could find were the rainbow colored corals and stones...

Until the colors were blinded by a sudden shadow.

It wasn't moving fast, but it was about whale in size. The little fish had been so busy exploring, he hadn't even noticed the slow approach of something completely foreign to his usual scope on the world.

At first, the thing scared him- a normal reaction for any skittish creature, especially with gigantic animals. He swam as quick as a shot under the first shelter avilable for hiding; a rather large, over-hanging rock covered in algae and small anenome. It was deeply bedded into the ground, with just enough room for hiding crabs... or in this case, a human child sized fish that burrows in sand in order to fit.

Whatever this large creature was, it didn't look up for a fight for prey. In fact, though it had plenty of time to notice the boy (the boy had not noticed it at all, but that's a whole other story), it just lazily moved along. It was floating across the surface of the water, moving about as fast as a sea turtle.

The brunet peeked out carefully from under his hiding place, shaking off some of the sand.

The little creature had bright blue eyes, with which he beheld the sight of the strangest creature he had ever seen. It was big, very big, but it had no scales. He swam in closer from the rock, still keeping a good bit of distance... but not letting whatever it was swim too far away. No scales, no obvious gills, no fins, and no sea life growing on its under belly. The boy stopped his swimming, getting just a little too close to the edge of the coral reef- also known as a drop off into deeper waters, where the sharks come from.

He watched the thing "swim" away, feeling an odd emptiness. The brunet had wanted to touch it, explore it, maybe even feed it! It had been so long since something new swam into his young life, and his life needed that perking up. Everything was just too boring!

The brunet pouted to himself, reaching out his hands as if he could summon it back to him. Alas, it just kept on its way... toward the horizon where the sun was setting. It was a rather sad sight to see...

Of course, the feeling of depression that began to well in his chest from the loss of his new "friend" was only temporarily. It was immediately forgotten as a voice, deep and angry, called to him from where he had originally swam from.

_AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!_ The little guy screamed in his head, just barely holding back a squeak of fear. He jetted back to the rock from before, immediately burrowing until he was covered... Though he was shivering so much in fear, he caused the sand to shift off and reveal his blue tail anyway.

"SORA!" The new presence screeched, sliding along the sands like a snake. His long tail flapped against the ground in anger. "SORA!"

Sora, or so the brunet was called, suddenly felt a pulse. He squeaked as he recognized the nearly inaudible sound, feeling as the invisible rays bounced off his hidden body. It was a sonic call, one that many scaled creatures used to find hiding prey. Though it wasn't a skill this fish could use, the very familiar screecher seemed a master of it.

"Ah ha! Found you, you little slug!"

Sora was tackled right out of his hiding place. They rolled together once before a much bigger brunet had the little blue eyed fish pinned, the bigger fish glaring daggers at him. Sora looked up at steel blue eyes in both fear and pain, as a rock was stabbing his spine uncomfortably.

"Get off me!"

"Explain!"

"Explain what?"

"Why you're late getting home! The shell is nearly purple(1), you know you're suppose to be home by then! It's dangerous, Sora!"

"Danger, smanger! DANGER IS MY MIDDLE- " Sora was slapped mid-sentence, now pouting and cradling his cheek.

The bigger brunet moved off of him, pulling the little brunet into a hug.

"It's shark season, Sora... I was really worried. Our parents are looking everywhere for you..."

"You guys just worry too much..." Yet Sora smiled, hugging the man. From first glance, one might believe they were related... yet their tails were quite different. Yet similar? "I'm sorry..."

The hug ended and Sora was being dragged home seconds later, in a rather tight grip. And when Sora struggled to release the hold on his hand, that grip only became tighter. The brunet sighed, letting himself be dragged.

"You always say that, and you always do this again the next day... Do we have to tie you to an ancher?"

Sora stuck his tongue out.

"... Ugh, you little..." He began as he saw Sora's tongue out, almost tempted to flick it.

"Look." The bigger fish stopped their swimming, turning to the little one he had in his hold. "You have got to realize something."

"Yeah, what?" Sora asked with all the interest of a worm, digging a finger into his ear. The big brunet jerked his hand away, forcing Sora to pay attention again.

"That... That there may not be anyone here for you tomorrow. That any day, the sea can swallow up everyone you love."

"... I know that-"

"You never suspect it either. And you never get all the chances you wish for spending time with them back..."

"I know that!"

"It happened to me, it can and might happen to you. Every family goes through a loss..."

"Leon..." Sora suddenly felt guilty, as he knew quite well what this man had been through already... despit being young. "I'm sorry... really."

"I hope you are..."

And they continued home together, their hands joined in a much less bruising embrace.

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Please be kind...

Read, review, and no flames, plzkthx.


	2. Traffic Greetings

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

WARNING - Lots of stuff.

RANT - I've been going around updating chapters and editing junk, so I thought I might as well get to work on this one to. x3 I'm afraid there might be a slight difference in writing style between chapter one and the rest of the story, maybe. Or maybe I'm just seeing things?

Oh, and if anyone is wondering why I deleted the chapters instead of replaced them, wellll... Truth is I ALREADY REPLACED THEM. With these upcoming chapters. Chapters two and three were completely redone to look better and fanfiction dot net, for some odd reason unexplained, reverted ALL my chapters back to their original text. A.k.a. fanfiction dot net crappified my story after I spent so long correcting it.

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Sora is a rather dazzling young man.

He is a brunet with bright, blue eyes, lithe frame, and just enough muscle to make him the fastest swimmer of all his peers. He is good at games, boyishly cute, and his voice is smooth, clear, and perfect for song. This fairly typical, if not overly cheerful, teen male has an abundance of friends, a nice home where he lives alone, and a big brother that has supported him through many tough times.

However, there is a rather _large _difference between him and your average spunky punk...

Sora is a creature of the deep blue.

Instead of legs for skipping or jogging, his bottom half sports a rubber skinned tail of sapphire blue and smooth ended fins. On his back, or for a young man on land; his back_side_, was a thick dorsal to assist naturally in his steering. Though a more scientific term among the kingdom for his particular species of tail is Homocetacean(1), Sora is more commonly referred to as, "That nice dolphin boy".

Today, he floated casually backwards across the ocean floor, careful of his large fin behind him as it grazed softly over the sands. He was making his way below the crowded streets filled with hundreds of others just like him; all with different tails, different genders... Perfectly peaceful as he stared up at the sky, hardly paying attention to where his tail idly swam him.

The boy's destination was a place that was rather far from his home, nearly inside the castle that governed their small world- which stood at the very end of the kingdom, beyond walls of rock and through a ravine trail. But it was just so meshed today in the city, which comes before anything else, that he saw no need to try and rush. It'd just cause him and whoever he ran into bruises...

Not saying that he wouldn't eventually hit something (or someone) without noticing, since day dreaming can sort of do that to a guy on the move.

Once he finally did, his first reaction was to stretch himself out- as if he had just awoken from a good night's sleep. His second was to give a flat look as he turned his head and rolled his body to see what it was he had hit.

It was a familiar red-head, cradling his cheek into the palm of one broad, long-fingered hand as he snored through the water- leaving a large trail of tiny bubbles to pop out from his nose and mouth. The very slender, very lengthy male was on his side- enjoying himself on a bed of ruffled sand.

He had long spiky hair, as red as flowers, and two scars under each eye that represented the makings of his family's traditional mark (which started as triangles, then would be spread out over the eyes and down the cheeks as each year arrived). Every family had a similar tradition... except Sora's, but that was another matter.

"Axel..." Sora began playfully, sidling in close to close up Axel's gills on both sides of his neck- almost immediately making him choke.

"Gack..!" The red whapped his black tail at Sora, just hard enough and sudden enough to knock his assailant to the side- which made the boy laugh. He huffed, then smirked- waving a bony hand in hello as he opened his eyes and blinked them slowly, still looking rather weary. "Hmm... Somehow I expected that to happen eventually..."

"Why are you so tired?" Sora began as he swam back, poking Axel on his face, shoulders, arms, and back until he began to move- which he did so with a groan. "Or is Roxas really rubbing off on you after all?"

Axel snorted at that comment.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Right, right..." Axel rubbed his nose, shaking himself around to rid himself of dirt as he glided like an eel over the rocks and gravel. He had a very long, slick tail of diamond black- all of his fins were a blood red, nearly like his hair, and flowed around like silk. Hansom all over, enough to catch an envious eye or two, but not enough that he could think the world of himself... like certain angel fish. "No, Roxas and I were not together last night. In fact, he'll probably be at the concert hall before we are."

"What makes you say that?" Sora asked curiously, making a few barrel rolls out of boredom. He smiled and waved at a few random passer-by.

"He spent the night there so he wouldn't be late." Axel chuckled. "Or so he said he would. He's been having a bit of a problem at home..." His voice seemed to trail off at that, but he was perfectly normal still. He even yawned again.

"Hmm." And Sora didn't attempt to question it.

* * *

(1)Fish- Because all of these people, including Sora, can breathe under water- they have to be fish.

(2) Homocetacean- Cetacean is the term used as a general for whales, dolphins, etc. Homo is short for Homosapien, which we should all know by now.

Alright... My chapters do seem a bit short, and don't seem to explain a whole ton just yet... But I like taking things slow and letting people try and figure things out for themselves. Very simple, that's me. :3

Read and review.

Flames are durm.


	3. Celebration Woes

DISCLAIMER - Do I really need to repeat myself?

WARNING - Dun dun DUN.

RANT - Okay, some things... First of all, you'll notice (anyone who rereads this) that I mention the term "fish" in chapter 1, but explain it in Chapter 2. I apologize, I was just too lazy to switch the info to the correct chapter in which it is first mentioned.

Lastly, as mentioned in the last chapter, fanfic screwed me up very badly. Worse even, this ONE chapter, the one with the evil DEATH song of DEATH... was half DELETED. Which means I had to re-write that part. Great, just great.

Someone. Please shoot me (not really, death would suck).

* * *

It was the night of the show. The three-hundred person chorus had practiced every day that they could, and every time the practice sessions would run for hours.

For this one night, in this one moment. The unveiling of the heirs of Atlantis...

More specifically, the very heir to take over at the end of their dear father's reign. The celebration just before a coronation. The main performers would be those siblings that would not be taking over, princesses and princes that would happily announce their beloved elder into the throne.

A glorious occasion for all, young and old alike.

No one knew what any of the young royal breed looked like. It was a tradition, as well as a precaution. If they were seen before the unveiling, they could be hurt or killed, leaving no one left to rule. Many different subjects believed, though quietly or they'd be punished, that no king or queen was necessary. That being ruled was cruel and sick, though not one could propose a better idea all the same.

... And not once have they had a leader that upheld the theories of disgusting behavior or abuse, not knowingly at any rate.

Sora and his fellows were part of the entertainment; the back ground singers, the introducers to the real performance, echoers of the main singers (the Nobles), and dancers.

The brunet flicked his tail in a rather off-handed sort of way, giving a small yawn. Today hadn't been such a horrible practice time. It had only lasted a few minutes, simply because their teacher believed, "If you aren't ready now, you never will be." That was fine for Sora, who was so full of pent-up energy he was beginning to shake and huff with impatience.

Roxas, beside him, and next to Axel, was yawning wide, then stretching his arms far above his head. He felt as a small click in his back went off, and suddenly his body became filled with delicious heat. Heat that wasn't very common for fish types at all... So pleasant was this kind of feeling that some were addicted to it.

One merman was so strongly inlove with warmth that he slept inside a clam's mouth and never came out.

Roxas was blond, black, white, and tan all over. His upper body, like everyone else, was human; with soft, orange and yellow skin. His hair was golden as the sun, and his eyes were a matching shade of blue to the sky filtering through the waves. The tail he sported was striped, black and white. Consecutive, vertical stripes along the body and ragged, cloth-like fins with horizontal stripes of the same patterns. The end of his tail was curved like a shark's, though he wasn't a shark species- unlike Axel.(1)

Speaking of him, Axel was taking this opportunity to... er... 'help' Roxas by holding him up around the waist. Roxas simply leaned into his friend, their tails brushing. Axel felt a pin-prick in his tail as Roxas's fins touched his, making him shiver and smirk.(2)

Sora shook his head at them, noticing that little smirk. If he had been injected by something sharp, he'd have probably yelped and instinctively smacked whatever hurt him.

Thousands of merfolk from all across the kingdom were arriving, all talking excitedly amongst themselves as they moved to take their seats. It was growing close to show time, or so said the trumpeteer squids getting into position on both sides of the stage. The stage itself was a stone platform covered by a curtain of seashells sewn together on thick seaweed threads.

The trumpets went off and the crowd settled down, many jewel-bright eyes glowing toward the shell curtains.

_"Siblings of the sea,_

_Blessed be that we have thee._

_Children of the water,_

_And our king."_

Began the chorus, some of which looked incredibly bored. One merman wasn't even singing, just moving his lips. Though they had no real chance for saying, most abhored having to sing such a ridiculous song... But it was tradition. Since a hundred years ago when it was written by a merman in an attempt to suck up to higher power under the king of the time.

_"The Seas roar for you..._

_The rocks roll for you..._

_The people are for you!"_

Most of the choir would stay in their seats, such as Axel and Sora. But those with more exotic or flashy tails, such as Roxas, were required to swim as they sang, following after a designated lead swimmer in intricate circles before the curtains and over the crowd. Roxas, with his umbrella fins, spread his tail out as he swam at the very end of the line. Once that was done, he was allowed to settle back down beside the red-head and brunet, having to use a lot of energy to resist a yawn.

_"Siblings of the sea,_

_Blessed be that we have thee._

_Children of the water,_

_And our king."_

The curtains were finally lifted up by two large swordfish.

_"Terra~!"_

The oldest sibling was introduced first, a young woman who appeared close to her twentieth year. She had long, wild, sea-weed green hair held back by a coral berret. She swam out to the middle of the stage using her brightly iridescent tail. The first thing she did was make a sharp flip backwards, causing her tail to suddenly burst open like a dress revealing many shells and stones dangling around her waist.

_"Larxene~!"_

A second young lady with bug-like hair swam out to the stage, looking rather disgruntled about the whole affair. She frowned and showed no enthusiasm for the celebration as she swam, until she reached Terra. The blond fish smirked, swimming quickly in front of her older sister with her arms behind her back. She gave a twist, causing a peacock-esque display of anenome flowers and feathers behind her- nearly hitting Terra.

_"Kairi~!"_

The oddest fish the whole crowd had ever seen suddenly swam out. She was pink, completely pink. Her eyes were purple, her tail was pink and glittery, and her hair was nearly maroon in color. Some of the people in the crowd looked to each other in confusion, wondering if she had been colored that way for the show. However, that was her true colors, and her trick instead was to fly about her sisters, then have her hair burst upward with a crown of corals.

_"Namine~!"_

The youngest of the siblings came flying shyly forth. She looked exactly like Larxene, if Larxene had much longer hair and were much younger. Her tail was a bright banana yellow, her hair nearly white blond, and her fins were thin and cloth-like. She swam, not to her sister, but instead to the crowd. In her arms suddenly blossomed many flowers, which she threw to the crowd.

Sora chortled as the crowd became a frenzy over the flowers, but he supposed it was understandable. He himself might be excited to grab a few, if he weren't in the choir. "What are those flowers called again...?"

"Royal Sun Spots." Axel whispered back to Sora's quiet question. "So called because they look like the sun..."

"I hate that they only grow in the palace..." Sora replied again, pouting lightly. He silenced himself as the music went down. The choir had already stopped singing after the final name, but now it was the noble girls' turn.

The girls gathered together, floating around the stage as a gigantic clam was lifted up before the crowd. Bubbles sprayed, the music stopped completely, and then the siblings took over from there.

_"Now the time has come,_

_What you are here to see!_

_Son of the king,_

_And the only heir to be!_

_We introduce to you so proud,_

_Our brother Cl- "_

Everything stopped in that instant. The clam had opened slowly as the girls sang their song, bubbles floated up in a thick fog... and inside, there was nothing. Not even a sign that something had been sitting there in wait. The final sibling and only heir to Atlantis was gone.

Namine instinctively gripped Kairi's hand and squeezed it. Kairi sighed as she pulled Namine into a hug, rolling her eyes at the empty clam.

"Typical." Terra stated flatly, barely wincing as the king screamed his lungs out at the servants to find the prince.

Larxene just laughed. Really hard. So much, in fact, she fell to the stage in a fit.

* * *

(1) I'm going to go ahead and explain that Sora is a Dolphin, duh. Roxas is a Zebra Fish, and Axel is a Rainbow Shark.

(2) "**Axel felt a pin-prick**" - As many people out there may or may not know, Zebra fishies are very poisonous. Beautiful, but poisonous. They have needles in their fins and tail that they use to inject a very deadly poison that could kill even a full grown male human in a matter of hours. However, I decided to change this up a bit. Instead of injecting with poison, it just stings a little- like a normal needle might if it gets jammed into your leg. And Axel? Well, Axel is a slight masochist. x3


	4. Another Introduction

DISCLAIMER - I do not own anything.

WARNING - Cheesiness, fish people, homosexuality.

RANT - That last chapter killed me. x.x Honestly. But I will persist! As a zombie now, I have plenty of free time (between eating brains and such, of course).

I just hope it didn't scare off too many of you readers... being as I don't have very many, which makes the few that do read ever more important to me.

Oh, and once again, lots of apologies to eveyone for the inconvenience with chapters. I'm putting the chapters that were up back up as fast as I can, and soon after I actually plan to update for real! Ch. 7 is on the way, yay!

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The Calm Depths were actually nothing like their name at all. It was a tunnel full of different caverns that led to several different places all around the outskirts of the kingdom, most of which were not places one without the devices to defend one's self, or at least the knowledge of their surroundings before hand, should ever wander to. Inside this tunnel, besides absolutely nothing but the rock walls that had been smoothed out with time, were dangerous currents with all the strength of a tornado. They would push through without mercy, and every _thing_ had the chance to be a victim. If one got caught in such a torrent, without a tail strong enough to support them or skills of agility to direct themselves through, it wasn't uncommon for that person to end up with a few broken limbs... if not complete death.

Definitely not a place for little boys and girls.

Luckily, Cloud was not a boy anymore. He was in his late teens with a strong, muscular build, ice blue eyes, and oddly shaped hair that barely moved in the water, but stuck up in several directions. As if by a magnet, one large lock of his hair would point up like a shard over his head in a single direction at all times.

Cloud's face was hansom and his over all appearance could only be described as blond and gorgeous, so much so that his mother and siblings (except for one, but she was a crab) would act like school girls straight from a family of tuna(1) and coo at him whenever he would pass by or enter a room. It brought him such benefits as getting people to do what he wanted without having to be demanding, but it did grow sickening from time to time. It even stressed him out a little, always worrying about the reasons for his family's and friend's love (the fact that he is of noble blood made his doubt of friends worse).

As a way to escape, Cloud would swim off to the edge of Atlantica, to a place far from any intelligent life... To the dreaded depths. Swimming through the "Calm" was the only way to ensure he'd never be followed or spied on. Cloud was always confident of perfect privacy here. The only real problem was how quickly drained Cloud would feel after every swim, but he always managed to make it in time.

Today was another lucky day. He sat alone as planned inside a wrecked dining vessel (of course having no idea what a dining vessel was at all). He knew the wrecked object, the whole of the boat, was called a "ship". He also knew other human terms for human things, such as "harpoon" and "anchor". Though not many others outside the palace would have any idea what these things meant, the royal family had their researchers and they were good at what they did.

The gold coins and jewels that encrusted the dusty sea floor, though pretty in the sunlight that floated in from the wrecked rock ceiling, weren't of much value to a merman (or any merperson for that matter). The wood and steel that littered the ground were completely worthless, though the blond did find occasional use in the old sails. A while back he had fashioned a sack for carrying some of the things he found and liked when exploring the old ships, sown together with surprising skill using a needle he carved from coral and seaweed fibers he had refined himself.

After all, what use did anyone else have for these forgotten trinkets? None. So if Cloud found them interesting, why couldn't he just take them for himself? He was a clever, resourceful male- he'd put them to good use somehow. Which is a lot better then letting them go to waste.

Sitting inside this old ship, he'd neutrally finger through a few chests with the lock cracked open. Time, the natural erosion of water, and the fact that Cloud had found something heavy to hit them with would always result in _just_ enough destruction to make a chest easy prey for an explorer. However, it would rarely result in much. Cloud could always hope to see something more then sparkling gems, and it wasn't as if they were hard to open anyway.

The blond sighed in a rather bored way when this chest was no different. Not even jewelry! At least the last chest had a necklace, even if it was too long and much too heavy to be anything but a burden to a swimmer.

"Another day, another fail... ure..." Cloud's voice trailed off slowly as he floated away from the new box. There was something, something small and metal, on the floor. It glinted through a ray of sun almost teasingly at Cloud. Shifting his weigh to direct himself, he turned and leaned forward to pick whatever it was up. At first, he thought it might just be a broken piece of metal that had come off the ship, but it was much too small. And it had a softer silver glow then steel. Very light weight. Cloud turned the thing over, noticing three prongs- the one on the very left was bent forward. It wasn't very strong, as Cloud noted when he was able to bend its stem with very little effort, but it was something new(2). Being the smart, scaled man he was, he could tell it had to be a tool of some kind... It wasn't just made like this to be this way with no purpose. It was made to look and feel just like this for a reason. Fixing its arm back into place, he looked at it again.

_It kind of reminds me of a... hmm..._ Cloud decided to put it away in his sack for experimenting later. The waters were shifting until Cloud could feel the cold, meaning it was growing late.

The merman's back was to the grand windows of the second floor, the place where the dining room had most likely been back when this large wooden box was more then just a piece of junk. Because he had become distracted by the new discovery and hadn't expected to see any visitors, he hadn't noticed something large swim past the arched glass.

Something large... and pale-gray.

* * *

(1) Tuna - I'm probably just weird like this, but Tuna fish seem like the type of fish that would flirt if they could. Slim little bodies and very cute (when alive). Sounds like a flirt to me.

(2) In case someone isn't able to figure it out, he found a messed up fork. Like Aerial did.

Introductory chapter into Cloud. Yaaaay.

Read, review (please), no flames.


	5. Shark Attack

DISCLAIMER - I do not own anything Disney or Square Enix related.

WARNING - Homosexuality, numerous cheesy events, possible mentions of the authoress shooting herself.

RANT - Okay, here it is. Almost done. After this chapter is the chapter I REALLY wanted to edit the crap out of.

* * *

"Watch out!"

It was all the warning Cloud needed. The blond's keen senses picked back up just in time to feel a large presence behind him, turning his eyes toward the large, arched windows of the old dining room. It was the biggest throat he had ever seen, with teeth as jagged as broken bottles. The most disturbing thing of all was the dead fish carcus still stuck in its mouth.

It was a shark, a great white. Its stature was smaller then most of its kind, but it was definitely an adult male. Much fatter then usual to. It was covered in deep scars and fresh cuts, mostly from the glass it had crashed through. One of its eyes even seemed scratched off, completely blind on its left. Many shards of glass were stuck in its back from when it had smashed through the windows, causing it to bleed rather heavily. Cloud watched the thing struggle and snap, trying to take a bite out of him next... but he was too fast, quickly sliding out of the stair exit and out through the roof of the boat. He had never been so glad to be such a record swimmer until that moment.

Just as the prince was escaping for the exit and back into the Calm Depths, something black and brown zoomed past him and toward the large carnivore. Another merman, almost twice Cloud's own size (and he himself was big, compared to the average merman). It was a brunet with a black and gray tail, a sharp dorsal on his back... a Chondrichthyes(1) breed. Or at least half. Even from the quick glances made as the brunet passed and the distance between them now, Cloud could tell he wasn't a pure-bred anything. The new man's dorsal was sharp like a shark's, but thick like a dolphin's. Rubbery skin, thick black and gray stripes just like a Cat Shark, and no blow hole. But the way he would swim, up and down instead of side to side, was more characteristic of a porpoise.

"Here, fishy, fishy, fishy..." The half-breed called, almost in amusement. Almost being he sounded far too serious to be joking.

"Are you stupid?" Cloud called, chasing after the brunet. He could only figure the brunet was a hunter; the scars on his body, the build of his muscles, and the way he seemed so determined to kill the beast were all characteristics. A lot of youths lost their lives by thinking they could take on the "big fishes", and though this man looked capable, Cloud wasn't one to let someone put themselves in that kind of trouble so easily. Cloud grabbed the large brunet by his arm, just as their attacker was shaking off the ship from its head. It turned its shaded black eye on the youths, snarling.

The brunet jerked his arm out of Cloud's hold. He turned steel-blue eyes on the blond, glaring at him in warning. He had a gash across his face, a very old scar... Which only added to how piercing his eyes were. "Get out of here." He growled, rather fiercely.

Cloud glared back unafraid. "Not without you!"

"You don't even know me."

"I don't care. Come on!"

"If I don't get rid of him now, he'll attack other people!" As they argued, the thing lunged again, flying forward like a cannon ball. Its mouth was wide open, large enough to swallow them both whole. The brunet grabbed onto Cloud's grabbing hands, using his own strong tail to give a powerful thrust further into the grave yard. Just dodging a fatal bite.

Cloud let go to swim beside the brunet, the both of them speeding through the water, circling around the graveyard. The other merman wouldn't leave, and Cloud was too stubborn to just let him be. "That's what the royal guard is for!"

"By the time the Royal Guard finally gets wind, it'll be too late."

They swam under and over the wreckage, through holes between the rocks, doing whatever they could to slow down or throw the shark off as they yelled at each other, as if whoever was louder would win. The shark chased them, as expected, but it merely smashed through whatever got in its way. The brunet finally turned to take a good look at the shark, suddenly pulling Cloud toward the wall. "I have an idea."

"Is it as _brilliant_ as your idea to charge it head on?" Cloud asked sarcastically, giving the brunet a flat look.

"That plan would have worked had someone not gotten in the way." He growled low, then shook his head. "It has only one eye, meaning it has bad depth perception. It wouldn't know how close it was to a wall, I doubt it even knows how far it is from us."

"Oh, I see."

"You should, the hint was rather obvious..."

They swam a little more slowly to the stone, making sure the shark was close behind them. They both split sharply in opposite directions just as the shark was about to reach them, causing it to slam its nose into the wall. The blond swam left, the brunet went right... making the brunet the target in its line of vision. It took a few seconds to come back to its senses, but once the great white had- with a crooked snout now- it went straight for the more muscular swimmer.

Cloud stopped in his tracks when he realized he wasn't being followed. He had thought they would both veer left, since it was blind on that side, but of course the brunet put himself right in danger's way. Cloud began wracking his brain for a quick solution as he turned to watch the chaotic race. It was hard to think straight with so much adrenaline pumping through his system. He had never been so nervous and stressed in his life (not to mention very pissed off)...

The prince looked away and turned to carefully observe their surroundings as quickly as he could, jerking his tail and shooting down toward an old anchor with only its stem and chain hold(2) poking out of the ground. It was so large, there was no way this shark could pick up such a weight. He doubted even a whale could handle something this heavy. He could only hope it was strong enough not to break should the shark struggle furiously, which he knew the thing would.

"Over here!" Cloud called to his fellow merman, floating inside the iron ring and using both hands to visually direct the brunet over.

Without thinking or trying to understand, the hunter flew on instinct and swam to Cloud. He jumped through the ring, dragging Cloud away with him as he swam through. The two of them falling into the sand.

A sound, like flesh being strangled with a thick rope, deftly moved through the water. It was practically mute to the merboys. The brunet, who laid curved on top of the prince, slowly moved his head to look up. He blinked in surprise. Whatever Cloud had planned had obviously worked, and the predator with a fat belly had been caught. He was stuck, the thing's neck tightly jammed into the old ring.

"..." The hunter looked down at Cloud, who seemed terribly relieved. They were both panting as they slowly calmed down. "Get that look off your face, he could still get free."

"You're welcome." Cloud stated with a flat tone and a glare, shoving the brunet off. He floated upwards from the ground, dusting his arms and tail off, wincing as he noticed a few scales had been ripped from his tail. He didn't bleed, it was just very raw. The brunet grabbed Cloud, rather boldly, by what could have been his hips. If that half were human.

The brunet was carefully inspecting the wound, glad to see they weren't too bad. _Must have been the fall. If he had been hit, it would have been worse..._

He turned away, but only one hand let go. Like the blond, he had an old sack made of unwanted materials that was carrying a few small items. It didn't weigh him down, but was heavy enough not to simply float in the water. He reached his free hand in to look around for something. The blond, meanwhile, didn't object to being grabbed, oddly enough. Though he did cross his arms and looked bored, as if he hadn't almost died and the shark wasn't thrashing about. Cloud had noticed the bag, but didn't think much on it for the moment. He was feeling too disgruntled to care.

The stranger pulled out a transparent something. It looked like a gooey film, like the stuff that covered their eyes to let them see clearly in the water, but it had a light lavender shade. Just a shred of something that the brunet placed over the prince's small wound. After it was sealed up with this odd jelly, did the brunet finally let go.

"Your welcome." Stated the hunter before Cloud could say a word. He moved away, staring at the still snapping monster. The thing was twisting around, snapping its tail against the sand. But to no avail, thankfully.

"If you don't like violence, I suggest you leave."

"Are you that desperate for a profit...?" Cloud asked, turning away with a mental huff. _All this frustration just for a few extra shiny stones._

"A... profit?"

"Yes. Don't large fish like these catch a pretty rock? Or did you do this to be noticed?"

"I don't do it for the money, and I hate attention." The man stated, very honestly. "But you can believe whatever you want. Just leave." He added the last part rather harshly. He swam about the floor, leaving the anchored and angry shark behind to return to the destroyed dining ship, which happened to be the closest vessel. The brunet searched through the pile of glass until he found a shard as long as half his arm and just thin enough to fit into both his hands. He picked it up, examining it with a critical eye. _Looks strong enough. It should at least do some damage..._

Cloud wouldn't leave, not just yet. Instead, he followed the brunet.

"... What's your name?" He decided to ask, feeling a lot calmer. After so much excitement, he even felt rather relaxed. Like he was so angry at the brunet, but at the same time such a dangerous situation had been rather fun. No matter how dumb the notion of near death being "fun" really was.

"... Leon." "Leon" stated simply, turning his cold eyes on Cloud again. They met for a second time in a long gaze, but it was oddly different from when they first looked to glare hotly at each other. This one almost seemed friendly. "Yours?"

Cloud had nearly stated his real name. He had opened his mouth, about to let his voice ring out into the waters with his christening, but then remembered... That probably wasn't the best of ideas. "My name is- " And before he could fully introduce himself, before he could lie to his new companion with a made-up name... He suddenly went wide eyed. "The concert!"

"... The what? Oh." Leon shook his head, slowly swimming around Cloud to move back to the shark. "You might as well not bother. By the time you get there, it'll probably be over." He had simply assumed Cloud was one of those excited spectators.

Cloud sighed in dismay, rubbing his temples. "I.. need to go anyway. I was suppose to meet someone there..." He grumbled, looking like he had eaten some bad krill.

"..." Leon watched the blond turn away, looking thoughtful. After a few seconds of Cloud floating away, possibly out of his life forever, he finally called out to him. "Thanks. That was... very clever. What you did." He had no idea what made him want to do that. He just felt like he should say something nice.

Cloud didn't turn back, but he did look a little happier. He smiled, which was rare (anyone who knew him would say so anyway), and waved good bye before drifting off into the Calm Depths.

Leon turned back to his "prey" once he knew the prince was gone, turning the shard around in his hands until it was positioned like a dagger. The blue in his eyes suddenly turned dark and a blackness spread from his pupils to cover every inch of the inside of his eyes. Like a shark that had just smelled blood, his teeth even seemed to become sharp as he bared them... kicking to the Great White like a dolphin.

* * *

(1) Chondrichthyes - The class that all sharks belong to.

(2) Chain Hold - I forget the actual term, but this ring isn't the ring that holds the chain itself to the anchor... It's the ring that's made as PART of the anchor for the chain to be attached to. If that makes sense. Well, even if it doesn't, just watch "The Little Mermaid". You'll understand then.

For those who are curious, _no_, not all sharks have that odd "KILL" mode where their_ eyes turn black_ and junk. I just think it's cool. Cat Sharks I don't think have this feature, even if they are kind of dangerous, but remember kids: I did say in **chapter one** this wouldn't be _entirely accurate_.

Other then that, I'd just like to remind all that I'll be updating for real very soon. Yay!

OH. AND I MADE AN OOPSY. I put a "(1)" next to something in **chapter one**, but never added at the bottom why I wanted to point that out. I just now remembered it...

OKAY. So, it mentions "THE SHELL IS PURPLE". If anyone out there read the very VERY first Part of Your World, you'd remember a little thing called the TIME SHELL. Basically, these people use shells to tell time... Well, that and several other things. Shells are just convenient and easy. More experienced people use the water currents.

Read, review, no flames. Cuz srsly, why bother?


	6. Unhappy Return

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Square Enix or Disney.

WARNING - Homosexuality

RANT - Yay, last chapter that needed editing. I am so happy. x3 I hope the flow of each chapter will move a lot... flowy-er now. I don't see anymore apparent zig-zagging as I did before, and no uneccessary paragraphs.

Thanks to all for being patient and for reviewing! x3 Love you all and hope you enjoy!

* * *

"WHERE IN THE FORBIDDEN RAVINE WERE YOU LEFT THE KINGDOM AGAIN DIDN'T WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE SHOULD BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE IS STUCK INSIDE THIS CASTLE FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS SO HUMILIATING LITTLE PUNK- " So screamed the king at the top of his lungs, his cheeks a very angry, blotched red. His words just barely made sense. Not a single person within ear's reach, and there were quite a few, could make out when a sentence began and when it ended. It was all just very furious rantings, right into the beautiful face of the forgetful young prince.

"Yes, father." Cloud would say to every other word (or was it a full sentence?) in a regretful tone as his majesty spoke.

"I know, father. Forgive me father. I am so sorry. Yes, I am the shame of the kingdom, I agree. Yes, I deserve to be beaten with a stick..." It was almost robotic how he would state his apologies; nodding his head, looking stoic, and breathing sighs as discretely as possible. Tail down straight, spine up, shoulders back- just like a soldier.

The screaming had begun almost as soon as Cloud returned home, nearly an hour after the concert had ended in failure. An hour and some odd minutes since he left his new "friend" behind for what he suspected would be forever. There was an odd pinch in his stomach the more he came to realize what was certainly true, that he'd never lay his sky blue eyes on that striped tail again. But that didn't matter now. What did matter was the fact that he had left his family and people to worry for his safety when he had suddenly disappeared.

Then again, maybe it was the sadness growing in the blond's eyes from his thoughts of Leon that caused the equally blond king to finally begin calming down. He huffed like an angry dog, then stared with blaring nostrils at his son. The king was a strong man with a barrel-shaped chest and a stout stomach. He had thick, trunk-like arms, a square head, roughly cut, spiked blond hair, and not a soft inch of skin or scale anywhere on his cache and yellow body. Rough, scarred, and old were but a few words to describe the once youthful king.

"Why did ya miss the concert?" Was the first question he decided to ask. Right to the point, no beating around the coral bush.

"I honestly did not mean to." Cloud stated softly, calmly. Staring at his father with the same eyes he inherited from him.

"How can ya not mean to?" The king was not without an accent, a rather roguish one at that. One could search the kingdom and not find another with such a strange voice. It was a bit of common knowledge that the current king was not by blood a royal fish. Even his kids knew he was actually raised by seaweed farmers on the far outskirts. Farther then anywhere Cloud had been. Perhaps knowing his father had seen so much more then what the palace could offer was a main reason to Cloud's wander lust?

"I... lost track of the day." It was an honest answer, and Cid knew that. Cloud was a very honest man, more so then almost any other.

"..."

"..."

"Ya left again didn't'cha?" The king concluded at last, eyes narrowing. He looked at his son rather flatly, looking more as if this were perfectly typical then angry again.

"..."

"Guards!" His majesty called out as silence became his answer, and immediately a small rabble of thick tailed men were at the ready. Two floating beside the throne where the king sat and three around the shamed prince. "Take'em to his room. Lock'em up. No one leaves and no one enters without direct say so."

Cloud jerked his head up. He had expected a lot of yelling, maybe a smack to his head, or even a wrestling match on the floor(1)- like what would usually happen. But to be locked away?

"When can I leave my room, then?" He asked, almost desperately. To never see the wild flowers, the anemones, the blossoming corals, or any of the things that were new and beautiful beyond the castle ever again? He couldn't live. And there was only so much time left before he would be forced to.

"Dun' go crazy on me," grunted Cid, the king and father of the only male heir, as he caught the expression of sudden panic. "Not forever. But not any time soon either."

"Then when?"

"When ya learn. When ya feel like understandin'."

"Understanding what? Learn what? I know what you're trying to tell me, I get it!" Cloud exclaimed, perhaps snapping with frustration a little too quickly. He couldn't help it. His every day ritual was at stake, and in barely a full year's time he would be crowned! He hadn't much time left to be free and wander, so every second counted.

"No, ya don't. And ya won't. Not until yer own children are born and leavin' ya to worry yerself."

"... I'm sorry..."

"Take him. And no more whinin'."

* * *

1.) Wrestling - In order to show dominance, to establish who is "better" (so to speak), two men will wrestle and whoever gets pinned to the ground is the loser. The winner, the stronger man, has proven he "rules" over the weaker and the weaker is forced to do his bidding until he is strong enough to pin the other down himself.

Turns out there wasn't much to edit on this one. The edited version of this chapter did go through on fanfic somehow, so yay! Not much work on that one. x3

NOW TO UPDATE FOR REALZ!

Read, review, and I already know it sucks- so no need for flaming, kthx.


	7. Curiosity

WARNING - Fluff, mush, possible singing, bad writing.

RANT - I had this chapter up already, but rereading it... Dear lord, it SUCKED. So bad. Chapter one turned out to be perfectly fine, thank the stars, so I didn't have to change it at all. I was so happy to see it wasn't nearly as bad (or even half as bad) as I remembered it being... This chapter, however, was WORSE then what I was expecting. Horrible, really.

So, I took it down so that I could update with it again in a less crappy way. And don't worry, chapter 8 is coming up soon to!

* * *

It was the next day after the failed concert, and Sora was alone. His friends spent most of their days doing... whatever they did together without Sora, but the brunet certainly didn't mind. In fact, he preferred to spend his time exploring on his own then with a small crowd.

The day was bright and cloudless, or so said the world above that shone so clearly over the water's surface. Everything was illuminated, from the coral flowers to the usually shadowed sands of cache below. Everything was sparkling today, putting the brunet in a particularly good mood.

Ever since Sora was a small pup, he enjoyed swimming around the edge of the kingdom- the place closest to the drop off where the sharks would play. Despite knowing what carnivores lie in wait, or might be in wait, most considered this area many times more safe then the coves where the giant jellyfish lived.

_Why Leon likes living with those jellyfish, I'll never understand..._ Sora thought to himself, then chuckled. _Then again, for a guy who hunts sharks as a _side project_, jellyfish tentacles probably don't stir much fear._

The brunet laughed again, then flicked his tail hard against the water. He flew forward like a torpedo for a few seconds, then allowed himself to come to a slow halt as he finally made it close to the edge. No one, not even his friends, knew about his visits here. They would only worry and bother him about it, so he thought it wise to keep it to himself.

Sora even knew that they'd be completely right about it being dangerous and stupid to come..._ But I have to. No one could ever understand._

His blue tail drifted downward until he was laying on his stomach on a nearby rock poking out from under the sand, barely visible. Because of what his tail was made of, rubbery skin and thick muscles, he couldn't curl it very well, even when he wanted to... So it lay straight behind him, dorsal fin in the air.

The brunet cupped his chin with both his large hands, his blue eyes opened lazily. Before him was a large expanse of ocean ground, almost completely bare for as far as his filmed eyes could see... Yet he thought it was a beautiful sight to behold. On occasion, he would see the ships of humans crossing, and many times he would wonder if it was the same ship he saw for the first time when he was a pup. However, as bare as the land might seem, sharks had a way of showing up out of no where- so he never took the risk to swim out and check.

"_Hmm hmm hmm..._" Sora began to hum to himself, smiling as he continued to do nothing of importance. "_When the river peaks, we'll meet again... Hmm hmm..._"

"Huh..?"

Suddenly, his interest was perked by a large shadow in the distance. He moved to float upward, now back in a standing position. His ears and eyes were wide, paying full attention to his surroundings in case he needed to run. He tilted his head, not making any moves forward or backwards.

"Oh..." Sora chuckled. "Just another ship..."

It wasn't as large as the other boats that moved about through the area, but large it was all the same. It seemed like an older boat, but it seemed well-kept... Or, from what Sora could see it, it seemed well-kept. It was moving at about medium speed for those things, swaying gently with the soft currents.

The brunet laughed, floating a little closer to the edge. The ship seemed to be coming his way, making him grin brightly. If a ship was actually willing to come to _him_, though it might cause damage to the near by plants, he'd be able to explore it! After years of hoping and waiting, never completely believing, he might get to touch a ship!

Not one single boat had ever swam across the reef like the first one he saw. Not one.

Though, the hope was dying somewhat... The ship still had a ways until it was anywhere near Sora, and the sky was suddenly growing very dark. The waters were quickly turning cold, though above him the waves still seemed fairly calm. However, if the ship were headed back toward the reefs anyway...

_It's now or never._

Sora began to, very cautiously at first, swim out into the open expanse of the ocean. He was terrified, excited, and now much too stirred up to turn back. The further he moved toward the ship, the closer the boat came, the more confident he was that it would be alright.

So long as the storm didn't interrupt.

* * *

I know... I make the narrator say all the stuff that should be said by Sora, and that's not very good story telling. In truth, I'm just coming into the realization that I speak more for the story then Sora does, so I'm going to carefully start transitioning into making the characters give out all the facts and such as we continue. Carefully because I don't want to stray too far from how it's been written so far.

Also, I know it's super short and even seems a little rushed. I can see that already. Knowing me, I'll return to re-write it again, perhaps... Then again, I also have so many chapters left in this story, I think I'd rather concentrate on what comes next and kind of just keep improving to make up for the bad chapters as I go.

After all, this will take FOREVER AND A DAY if I don't.

Read, review, no flames.


	8. First Meeting

WARNING - Singing, cheesiness, fluff, etc. No, seriously this time. Lots of it.

RANT - Here's the ACTUAL update. Oh mai, is she ACTUALLY continuing on with the story? AT LAST? Why, she IS!

BTW, I thought it as weird how the little mermaid and Eric could speak the same language, being from two different worlds and all... But hey! Makes things convenient for me.

* * *

_"We sail the seas~"_

_"Yo ho, yo ho!"_

_"We sail the seven seas in search~"_

_"Of mermaids and treasures and ladies for hire!"_

It was a crude song, and it had been sung through out the entire journey. Most of the boat, well... Really, all, but one passenger enjoyed it all the same. It was a silly sea-farer's strum that kept bored spirits high and made laughter ring through the air.

One young man in particular seemed very interested in it, but not for its lyrics.

"What are mermaids?" He asked, his speech clear as a bell, but as deep as any man's should be- and as hansom as he looked. He sat near the bridge at the bottom of the steps, his black slacks fitting perfectly on his powerful legs, as he scratched two floppy, yellow ears. Between his black, booted feet was a pure bred golden retriever(1), looking as happy to be there as any other of its breed would be. Especially as his master's cream-white hands scratched his sensitive ears so lovingly. The young man was wearing a white, dressy top with large open collar- large enough to show his collar bone and the crevice of his firm breasts. His long, silver hair was back in a loose ponytail, many of the locks having escaped its grip and flowed in the wind like shreds of silk.

The whole crew of the ship seemed to stop and gasp loudly at the young, beautiful male- all wide-eyed and disbelieving. Well, the ones whose faces could be seen anyway. There were a few with beards so large, their whole face seemed to be nothing, but hair.

"Ye don't know what a mermaid is, eh, laddy?" Began the captain as he walked down the steps from the open bridge, his boots heard heavily falling onto each piece of wood. He was an average sized man, his voice scratched and growly as any other sailor's could be, and yet still more high-pitched. It made it easier to understand what he was saying. "There are a lot of stories about tha mermaids... Some of romance, sweetness, and song... Others of a man's murder."

The silver haired male looked even more interested, looking up to catch his sea-green eyes on dark-blue. "What of the more romantic tales?"

The captain smirked, flicking a piece of purple hair away from his face. It didn't do much, as everyone but the silveret seemed to have their hair weighed down with salt water. Just as he was about to speak up again, perhaps even begin a story, the captain was interrupted by the only passenger not at all amused by all the tales and singing parties.

"Don't let Captain Faris(2) fill your head up with nonsense, young lord." He sniffed. He was an older gentleman sporting a well trimmed beard of white and a butler's uniform. Though his face was that of pure seriousness at the moment, his light eyes said warmth and worry. "If you're really so interested in romance, find a bride. Make your own romance."

Captain Faris gave the butler a flat look. "You like ruinin' other peoples' fun, do ye not?"

"What you call fun, I call being silly. It isn't proper for a lord to be 'silly'."

"Oh, Ansem, let me have fun!" The silveret stood from his seat, his hand leaving his furry companion's head- which made the golden dog whine loudly. He leaned down again to pat his head, whispering comfort. "Calm down, Pluto."

"You're turning nine and ten tomorrow, the time for fun has passed. The time for marriage, however- "

"Will come when I fall inlove."

"Master, Riku, love- "

"If I can't love the one I lay with for the rest of my life, I'd rather not lay at all." Riku stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. He turned back to Faris, offering a polite smile. "Go on. Tell me something of these mermaids. What are they?"

Pluto, meanwhile, knew he wouldn't be getting his master's attention again any time soon. So instead, he began to sniff the wooden floors- occasionally skidding as the boat swayed. The sky above was turning gray and dark, making some of the sailors look uncertain and wary. However, being a dog, he didn't notice nor care of the worries of strangers. His nose was desperately trying to catch on a scent other then water, sea, and sweat- knowing there MUST be something interesting to poke his face into.

_Ah, yes! _

His nose went off and he panted in glee, looking up toward the side of the boat. There was a new scent, of something delicious, wafting to him like a dog whistle's call- demanding he inspect it. So, Pluto did- trotting off to the front of the ship where the odd smell was coming from.

"Mermaids are tha people that live in a mysterious world of their own, far beneath the water's edge..." Began Faris with his story, his voice low and slow for effect. "Where tha coral reef and tha sea weed grow thick, and the world is surrounded by the diamond rays of the sun and the rainbow rocks... That is where the merpeople are said to hide."

"Merpeople? Men and women, then?"

"Without men and women, how are ye suppose to continue existence?"

Pluto's nose led him to the end of the bow where none of the sailors were working, near the wooden maiden that saw their ship through many waters. He sniffed and sniffed, then suddenly smiled as wide as a dog could at what he found- giving it a big, wet lick.

"H-Hey...!" A blue eyed wandered chuckled quietly, trying to discretely push the dog away. "You'll get me caught."

All that earned him was another lick to the face, and several more to follow.

"Ha ha ha! Hey, quit that..."

Riku looked to where his dog was, only seeing him licking on something. He was afraid it might be the mossy wood, or maybe some sea water that had found itself on board.

"Pluto!" He called. "Pluto, I can tell you now, whatever you're trying to eat isn't good for you."

The dog didn't listen.

Riku sighed, looking back at Feris. "I apologize, please continue."

"The merpeople are a race of half fish, half man." Faris picked up as if there hadn't been an interruption at all. "The merpeople are known best for a few qualities that no normal human can possess, such as singing."

Riku chuckled. "Singing? That's not special. I sing quite often..."

"Well, if ye would allow me to do so, I would explain why it's special for these."

Riku silenced himself.

"Thank ye." Faris huffed, then went on. "When you hear a mermaid sing, it's like listening to the chorus of many bells. As if emotion could have a sound, they display their feelings in a way only out ranked by angels."

"Ah... So, it must be a very lovely sound..."

"Indeed, it is. Only a few folks have ever heard the song of a mermaid, and those same few spent their lives searching for it- desperate to hear the call again."

"What else...?"

"Captain." Interrupted one of the sailors, ending their story time. "A heavy storm is on the way."

"Let's say the rest is a time meant be for later." Faris said, disappointed. "I'll give ye a little better detail then."

Riku nodded. "Yes, thank you." He turned to Ansem, who had looked nothing less then absolutely irritated at the whole situation. "Well, while we still have time... You said earlier you had a gift for me?"

"I also said you won't be opening it until tomorrow the last time you brought it up."

"Ansem, just let me see it." Riku turned his green eyes to something very large pinned down to the middle of the boat. It was covered in a thick tarp to protect whatever it was from the unforgiving winds and sea water. "If it really is as delicate as you say, I should see it now. Just in case."

Ansem only laughed, his voice sounding a little more cheerful. He gave his young lord a warm smile from under his beard. "My lord Riku, how your attention turns so fast. First you're begging to have your gift, then concerned about how to drive the ship- and when you're denied a chance at that, you want to play with your dog. Then when you lose the toy you were tossing, you want stories. Now that your stories are gone, you want to pester me about your gift again."

"Which means we'll just keep coming back to the subject until you give in, I suppose." Riku said casually. He was a man whose attention was always being caught on something, never one to stay bored for too long. He was one of the few who could find interest in mold, if only for something to do.

"You're acting like a spoiled child, my lord."

"I am a spoiled child, my dear butler. I like to think of it as an endearing quality."

Ansem laughed, though he was frowning again. "Fine." He turned to some of the sailors. "If you would, please. Remove the tarp."

Most of the sailors looked rather angry at that, as if Ansem were stupid to be more concerned with a statue then the skies that were now so black. It was almost dark enough to mistake for night, though the winds had only picked up a tad and the waves were only moving a little faster then they were before. All were still bad omens. However, despite the voiceless protesting- and the cursing under their breath, they did remove the tarp all the same...

Revealing a large statue of Riku himself, standing tall with his knee bent on a stone and one hand on the hilt of a sword. It might have been flattering, as it did depict his face perfectly, but the outfit itself was... Well, best put-

"It looks so... poofy. Especially the pants." Riku coughed, still smiling. He was glad that the present was received now instead of later, as this was a little embarassing to look at. Even some of the sailors were laughing. "Eh hmm, I mean... Thank you, Ansem. It was very... very thoughtful."

Ansem certainly seemed proud of it, looking at the statue with a twinkle in his eye. "I think it brings out a more regal nature in you."

Riku coughed again, blushing pink. But not from flattery.

"Hee hee..." Pluto was still sampling the face of the odd new comer, who was hanging from the edge of the bow. His tail was hanging down below him, gently tapping the ship. "My name is Sora, what's yours?"

Pluto only barked, which made Sora jump- nearly falling off the boat. It also filled him with a sense of panic, hoping no one had heard this new creature he had never seen before. In fact, he had never seen anything as strange as the things on this boat. Especially the dog. But what really caught his attention was what the humans walked on, noticing they had normal torsos... But the oddest bottom half.

_What are those things...?_

Whatever they were, they were definitely not tails. Perhaps not for swimming at all. Sora merely assumed that they couldn't swim just like he could never walk, which made him scared. _If any of these people fell in, they'd be doomed! To travel on water without a means to swim must be horrifying..._

"Pluto!"

_Oh no..._

"Pluto, what are you doing over here?"

Sora ducked, but didn't realize his fingers were still curled over the deck. He closed his eyes, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice him..

"Pluto, stop trying to eat.. the ship..."

It was Riku. While the sailors concentrated on the upcoming storm, the first drops of rain already pitter-pattering on the deck, and Ansem was busy re-tarping the statue... Riku had decided to finally check on what his dog had found so interesting. He had originally figured it must have been moss or broken wood, maybe even metal- all things bad for any living thing from land to eat or lick... When he noticed the struggling grip.

Riku moved to sit on his knees, legs spread, as quickly and quietly as he could. His arm suddenly snaked down and grabbed Sora by his upper arm once he was sure he had a good hold on his position.

The little fish squeaked as he was grabbed, his head instantly jumping forward out of instinct to see what had grabbed him, and his other hand moving to try and loosen the stronger one holding him tight.

Sapphire blue suddenly met with aquamarine, their faces only a few inches apart when Sora suddenly froze. His neck was smooth, his gills having slid down while out of the water(3) and his tail was still hard to see.

Compared to the silveret, Sora looked rather plain. One had porcelain skin, the other a caramel tan. Though Sora's eyes could be compared to the sky, Riku's were as beautiful as the green sea. They stared at each other, unblinking.

Riku was the first to move again after catching the hidden stowaway, moving a hand out to gently caress Sora's cheek. His thumb played with the plush of the brunet's bottom lip, completely awed by the male he found.

"Who are you...?" He asked softly, sliding some of Sora's drenched hair away from his face to better look at him.

"I..." Sora began, gulping nervously. "I'm..." It was definitely too soon, and most likely not a wise choice... But something compelled Sora to answer, in a way that even surprised himself.

"I'm yours..."

Riku's eyes went wide, but he seemed eager. His heart was thumping for the first time in his life, almost painfully pounding against his ribs. He gripped the back of Sora's head, his salty hair tangling around his fingers, causing Sora to make a lovely gasp. The silveret leaned in, darting for Sora's mouth...

But it wouldn't happen. Sora was suddenly flung from the ship, and Riku tossed backards onto the deck. The storm roared loudly over head, lightening striking the side of the ship.

All Sora could see was fire as he fell back into the ocean.

* * *

(1) I have no idea if the Golden Retriever actually existed as the modern breed does back then. I could look it up... But I really don't care. xD I did say this wouldn't be accurate.

(2) For those who haven't played **Final Fantasy V**, Faris Scherwiz is a pirate captain from that game. I don't want to use too many Disney characters.

(3) Okay. So, gills. I already said they're on the neck. I did it kind of like those fish and lizards do, the kind with both lungs and gills? They take a gulp of water, their gills sprout. They take a gulp of air, their gills close and lungs start up. Same concept, which I'll be getting into with a little better detail later... I just don't want people asking me about it, is all.

And no, Riku didn't see his tail, so he doesn't know Sora's a fish person. And yes, the sudden want for a kiss might have been fast, but this is a story based on a romance that happened in a split second.

The ending was rushed, I apologize for that. I just hope it turned out okay over all.

Read, review, no flames.


	9. Rescue

WARNING - FLUFFNESS. O.M.G.

RANT - Yes. Update. GO ME. I have to warn everyone that this chapter is very VERY plain, even compared to my other chapters. It's a little rushed, a little lacking in detail... In other words, it sucks. This particular chapter I'm rather ashamed of myself, more then usual. This is a scene that was suppose to be extremely cute, romantic... NO SINGING INVOLVED, despite the movie. I just... I don't know. This was the best I could do this time around. I think it's because I have to write while in the mood, and I was in the mood when I was super tired...

So yea. I was super SUPER tired when I wrote this. I will most likely be coming back to edit this and make it better, but for now this is what I got. I hope everyone enjoys it anyway!

* * *

"No!" Sora screamed as the bright orange lights filled the ship. From under the water, the whole scene was a big, blurry mess. "NO!"

The brunet flew back to the top of the water, instantly breaking the surface. Lightening blasted across the sky in purple rays, thunder booming loud in his sensitive ears. It was as if the heavens were mocking. Sora's bright blue eyes scanned over the wreckage, despaired to see the ship half gone from the sudden attack. What was left of the boat was smothered in flames. He insantly dived back into the water, jumping several times in order to get to the boat faster and search for the male he had just met.

A smaller rowboat full of men was floating on the rough waters far on the other side, where Faris, Ansem, and several crew members were still safe.

"Lord Riku!" Ansem called desperately, unable to see the young prince. "Riku!"

"Where are ye matey?" Faris called beside him. The oars were in his strong hands, powerful arm muscles keeping the boat as steady as possible to avoid capsizing. Several people, including Riku, were still missing- the men on the little rower were mostly unconscious.

Sora swam and dodged around broken planks and falling debri, just narrowly escaping the sudden fall and crash of the crow's nest. It was then he saw Riku, once again coming back up from under the water after taking his dive to safety from the wooden tower.

"Ah!" Sora gasped, eyes wide with worry and hope. The prince was burned, that much was obvious even from the brunet's distance. However, Riku was still clinging to a broken plank. Sora grinned, happy to see him alive... Then screaming(1) as he watched him fall down into the deep, his grip finally lost. The brunet dashed under the water, just catching the falling prince before he was down too far- dragging him to the surface once again and holding him tight.

"Please... please live..." Sora begged, his breath soft and ragged in Riku's ear. The prince's once long hair was partially gone, some of the ends looking black from burning off. "Please... we just met. You have to live..."

"Riku!"

Sora heard the call of humans, but it was drifting away. The brunet turned to look in the direction of the calls, but his vision was blocked as the ship finally turned sideways and fell down. Instead of trying to get Riku to the humans, he decided it'd be safer to take him to the shore himself... carefully edging the prince away from the carnage and toward the land.

_Thank goodness it's not far..._

Sora gently dabbed Riku's burns with a sponge. It was soft against his raw skin, gently washing away dirt and splinters from the prince's skin. They laid together in the sands of the world of humans just beyond the reef where Sora was tending to Riku as much as he could, his tail curved over the beach beside his new friend.

Riku, luckily, didn't seem as if he had received too much damage. His clothes were torn to shreds, his boots water logged, and his hair was only half the length it once was from when it had been burned- though it was still long enough to wrap over his neck and cling to his bottom lip. The brunet gently moved his silver locks aside, freeing his face and throat. There were burns on his skin, but none seemed too serious. Scarring was definitely doubtful.

Sora sighed in relief, looking him over.

"You're lucky... Riku." Sora said, chuckling at using the man's name for the first time. "That's your name, right?"

The brunet moved a hand to gently cup one of Riku's porcelain cheeks, running his hand down his soft jawline. He continued to smile, leaning forward and kissing his forehead.

"Please wake up soon..." He murmured sweetly, his hand travelled further down to the prince's chest. Riku's skin was warm, his heart beating against the tips of Sora's fingers- making the brunet blush. "Please..."

Sora's soft voice seemed to seep into Riku's unconscious mind, slowly waking him up. The prince lifted a hand to take the one Sora had pressed so lovingly over his heart, gripping it tight. The brunet jumped from suddenly being grabbed, but didn't pull away... especially not as Riku's sea-green eyes caught on his brilliant jewel blue again.

"... It's you..."

"Riku..." Sora whispered, biting his lip.

Riku brought Sora's hand to his face, giving the palm a slightly sloppy kiss. He was still very out of it... Despite that, he smiled up at Sora, taking his face in his free hand. "Who are you...?"

"... I..." Sora began, the odd sensation from before bubbling up in his stomach again. It was like his insides were twisting around pleasantly, or perhaps like lots of wriggling worms energetically playing around in his gut. He took a breath. "I'm Sora..."

"Sora..." Riku replied, touching Sora's lips again like he had before. His thumb was playing with the brunet's bottom lip, petting the soft flesh with the pad of his finger. "You saved me... did you not?"

"Yes... I couldn't see you die..." Sora answered honestly. He hadn't noticed when he began to lean forward to the prince, nor did he notice when the prince began to slip his hand on the back of the brunet's head again... At least not until his hair was gripped just like before, causing him to moan from the ticklish sensation. He was being pulled down for the kiss they had missed, the dolphin more then willing to accept it this time... But was forced to stop as he heard voices floating from down the bank. He bit his lip again, looking down at Riku. Sora touched his cheek again. "I have to go... I promise, I'll come back!"

"W-Wait..." Riku tried, but his body was too weak. Sora was slipping back into the water, swimming away from the shore with all the speed of a missile. In the mean time, the weak prince struggled to sit up, despite his killing head ache and aching joints. "Sora...? Sora...!"

"Master Riku!"

Riku turned his head, looking incredibly confused. There was no sign of the brunet, not even footsteps to indicate he had been there. When he turned his gaze to where his name was being called, he saw his long time friend and servant rushing to his side along the beach.

"Master Riku, thank the heavens!" Ansem immediately gathered the prince into his arms, helping him to stand. "You're injured! We must get you home at once!"

Ansem turned to the sailors that had made it back to land, helping in the search for Riku. "Help me carry him, and be careful- he's hurt!"

"No.. no.. A-Ansem, I need... I need to find him..." Riku said, pushing from Ansem with one hand as the other grabbed his head. He was looking down the beach again and toward the water, calling as loud as he could "Sora! Sora!"

"Sora?" Ansem asked, shaking his head. The sailors came to his side, forcibly picking the prince up and moving to carry him from the beach. "I think he may be delirious... He might have hit his head, he does look to have a headache. We'll take him to the palace then call the doctor, everything will be okay..."

Just beyond the beach, much too far for the frantic Ansem or the sailors hauling the prince away to notice, Sora was watching- carefully hidden behind one of the many peaking rocks along the shallow waters. He felt his heart tear a little as Riku called his name, in a voice begging him to come out of hiding... But Sora knew there was just too many differences between them. He feared Riku might not accept him, being something very much not the same species. As the prince was carried away, Sora waved to him good bye- his eyes stinging painfully. He dipped back into the water as Riku disappeared from sight beyond the edge of the beach.

"... I'll come back, I promise." Sora whispered to himself sadly, not even sure how he would accomplish that.

* * *

1.) Why Sora is screaming so much is because, well.. he's above water. It's like, if he were UNDER the water, it would have come out a sonic call or a yelp, but above the water- he's screaming. Now you know, AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!

WHOOT. Sad, overly fluffy, and... well, not very descriptive, I think. x.x Kinda rushy, I apologize for that...

Read, review... seriously, why flame? Why?


	10. Spies Are Everywhere

DISCLAIMER - I do not own.

WARNING - Homosexuality, minor violence, and whatever I feel like, I guess.

RANT - Well, I reread the last chapter, and besides a few typos, it is actually a lot better then I thought. I like it well enough to keep it the way it is, anyway. Which is good, because I can just keep updating. Like right now! GO ME!

Anyway, I did mean to update sooner, I really did, I am just very busy. If anyone has read my fanfiction profile, they'd know I am currently going to college and don't have much time for anything. I can tell everyone right now I won't be able to do much updating for a while, blegh. I'm surprised I'm updating right now!

So, please enjoy and I hope things aren't too horrible.

* * *

Cloud was pacing about in his bedroom, unable to just settle anywhere.

His usually comfortable clam bed was suddenly too lumpy. The little artifacts he had collected over the years, he lost his interest in. The many flowers and gifts given to him by his many female fans were forgotten for now, some not even opened. He was just too restless for anything.

_How could he do this to me?_ The blond would rage inside his head, arms crossed tight. _This is wrong! I know I worried him, but he shouldn't be worried in the first place! I'm just as fast, as strong, and as skilled as a hunter! I can swim the depths without a problem! I can outswim and out-think a shark! I'm better then most of the guards!_

The yellow fish huffed, but it was all he could do. In the end, he'd be forced to calm down. Until then, he would rant and grunt and smack his tail until the anger was out of him. Many years ago he had learned to keep his anger inside, to scream in his head so his thoughts could not be heard. The reason for this was he had been caught ranting a fe times before, once by a sibling and another time by his father- both times ended in a mess. So forever on, he kept to himself.

Cloud huffed again, diving onto the clam meat he called a bed, letting his face hide in the warm, purring muscle. At least his clam seemed sympathetic.

"My poor dear..." Said a soft voice a good distance away. It was cold, dark, and slow- a tone of fake commitments and false promises. As Cloud laid on his clam, he was certain he was all alone- dealing with the stress and anger all by himself. However, a pair of dramatically sympathetic eyes was watching his figure. It was a woman, tall and lanky, with several grey, sucker-bound legs. She clucked her tongue, then smiled and laughed as she turned to a dark-purple octopus sitting near by. Together, these two odd figures sat inside the cave of a prehistoric skeleton's abdomen, and together they watched as Cloud sighed and sweared to himself through a large bauble.

"The poor, poor dear..." She clucked her tongue again, both brows furrowed and lips in a pout. "I feel... so bad for him. Don't you, Ultros?"

"Heh heh heh HA HA HA HA EH HEH HEH HAA HAAH HEBBLE HEBBLE..." The large octopus responded, large yellow teeth in a thick row hanging over the bottom of his mouth. As he laughed, he seemed to grin a wide, disgusting smile- his voice gargling and cracking. The purple thing had two large eyes, both pupils growing smaller and moving in different directions as he laughed, loud and shrill. When he calmed down, his laughter now just a murmured chuckle, his eyes returned to normal, and he said in an almost sophisticated voice, "oh, yes. Very bad..."

"I knew you'd agree." The woman turned back to the orb that sat in the middle of the room, which was lit in an eerie light as it showed the vision of the prince. Now Cloud was sitting up on his bed, looking oddly depressed. Whenever this woman would watch the yellow male, usually it was just a series of anger issues bubbling up one at a time, causing Cloud to go into little fits. Seeing him sad was new, but ever more entertaining. The woman placed a hand over the orb, petting it gently.

"Ohh... what's wrong, my little prince?" She asked it, as if Cloud could hear her. He couldn't, but all the same he accidently revealed himself. It began with a sigh, then his sky blue eyes turned slowly to the ceiling, both hands at his side and his back arched forward.

"Leon... I envy you."

"Leon?" Asked Ultros, who had crawled in close to watch a little better. "Leon... Leon..."

"Is it familiar?" The woman asked, quirking a brow at the purple octopus, her lips sporting a frown.

"Leon... Leon..." Ultros continued to think, his large eyes staring off to the side in thought. "Ah! Leon! That ugly half-breed hunter man!"

"Oh..." The woman twitched, her frown deepening into a scowl. She began to hiss. "That man. If it is him..."

"Still stinging from when he rejected you, eh?" Ultros chuckled, but only for a moment. He stopped, shrinking back towards the shadows in the wall as her orange eyes turned red and fangs appeared. Her hands seemed larger, nails shaping into claws. "I-I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! You deserve better anyway! He- He only rejected you because he had a hit too many to the head! There's no other explanation!"

That seemed to calm her down, but only slightly.

"Y-You're beautiful! Intelligent, wicked, talented, and perfect!" Ultros continued, looking almost two sizes smaller as he scrunched as close to the floor and wall as possible.

The woman calmed down at last, offering a small smile. "I know."

"Phew..." Ultros sighed in relief, though very quietly. He decided to carefully swim back to her, grinning wide again. "Besides... It might not be him. After all, there are more then one Leon's in the sea. He didn't specify which."

The woman ignored the octopus from there, or seemed to, as her eyes drifted back to Cloud. He had flopped backwards across the bed.

"Hmm... Though if it is him..." The woman tilted her head, smirking as Cloud seemed to blush, murmuring, "Leon" as he stared on sadly at the top of his room. "This may be to our advantage... Cloud hasn't shown much weakness, but perhaps he could be convinced..."

Her voice travelled away from her and all was silent, beyond the soft laughter of Ultros. In the mean time, Cloud decided it was time for sleep, turning over where he lay to get comfortable before falling away from reality.

"He bores me for now... Let's see what the other sea creatures are doing."

* * *

You'll notice Cloud's chapters are a little shorter then Sora's. Not much I can do about it. x.x I mean, there's just REALLY not much for me to add for this chapter. I mean, I could make it longer by making Cloud rant some more to himself, add more witchy cackling... But come one, does ANYONE want to read a bunch of nothing? No. It's boring. The next chapter is much longer, though. It should more then make up for the shortness here.

OHNOES. MORE PLOT?

Read, review, no flames.


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